Chapter 30
Matty stepped out of the portal into a broad expanse of green with not nearly enough buildings.
He had to take a deep breath before anything else.
Matty was not used to this much open space, and Fairlight apparently had it in abundance.
He hadn’t been used to this much green since his school years.
What outdoor time he’d had in Germany had been different, with lots of other people around.
In front of him, two people were waiting, rather than the three he’d somewhat expected.
Worse, the one he felt he at least knew a bit was the one missing.
Fortunately, Claudio came through a second later.
There was the shimmer of sound as the portal closed behind him and then the feeling of his magic coming to a rest to Matty’s left.
Matty, however, was focused on the man. A known man, it wasn’t as if Lord Orion Sisley’s record weren’t quite public.
There had been his bohort stats, some general comments on his schooling and apprenticeship.
Later, he’d inherited the title and the land magic from his father.
Sisley had served in combat in the war, and had lost three of his fingers to it.
He’d had a scandalous divorce from his first wife before serving somewhere entirely secret and meeting his second.
Then he’d Challenged for the Council and seemed to be one of the particular shining lights of Albion’s great and good, as the phrase went.
He was wearing a country suit, dark hair long enough that he obviously didn’t spend much time in non-magical society these days.
He absolutely stood like a duellist and wasn’t trying to hide it.
Hypatia Sisley— born Ward— came from a far less distinguished family, but her English father had been a bit of minor gentry before marrying her Egyptian mother.
More relevant these days, her brother was a professor at Schola, focused on Materia, with close to four dozen deeply researched and impeccably cited articles and monographs on various aspects of the subject that also managed to be delightful experiences to read.
Along with five others related to identifying Egyptian sculpture and art and distinguishing it from fakes.
With her marriage, Lady Sisley now turned up in various society page photographs and reports, but she maintained her own materia research.
Though not as much publishing as her brother, taken year over year.
Matty was hoping he’d find out why, sometime, and what she was working on.
She had on a gloriously bright turquoise frock that suited her well, both in cut and colour, without being unreasonably posh about it.
Her black hair was up rather informally in a poof of a bun that seemed to defy gravity.
Now, Lord Sisley came forward, bringing out both hands— he’d had the left in his wife’s— and offered them.
Now the missing fingers on his left were visible, though of course Matty didn’t stare.
He was entirely too busy focusing on the man’s expression.
“Be welcome to my lands and all they hold.” Beside him, Matty heard a sharp inhalation that he didn’t understand.
Something complicated had just happened, even though he knew it was one of the possible ritual greetings.
He glanced at Claudio, who was looking from Sisley’s hands to his face, and finally at Matty. First, he murmured. “Any reasonable statement of respect for the land is fine here.” Then he raised his voice slightly. “I suppose I should have expected you to make several points in what, nine words?”
“You did give me time to plan, brother.” Sisley’s voice was deeply amused, rumbling with it, but the interchange at least gave Matty a chance to gather his wits.
“I’m honoured to be your guest and to have a chance to get to know you better.
Lady Sisley, Lord Sisley. And the land here.
” Matty made a slight bow. “Claudio has not said nearly as much about both of you as some people might. He’s not prone to idle chatter, is he?
But it’s clear just how much you’ve been the centre of his world. ”
That got a broad grin out of Sisley, but his wife spoke first. “We must be Hypatia and Orion, please. Anything else will be ridiculous. Also, a trifle confusing. Cammie will be along in a minute.”
“Rabbit?” Claudio asked, with no context at all.
“You know how she gets.” Hypatia gestured and said, “Walk with me, would you, Matthew? May I call you Matthew?” It was the more comfortable option, but if he were being brave, well.
“Claudio’s taken to calling me Matty, and I’d be glad for you to do so as well. The three of you.” It got another little inhale from Claudio, almost the same pitch and duration as the one he’d made earlier.
There was a pat on his shoulder, with just enough warning that it didn’t startle Matty.
He offered his arm to Hypatia almost automatically, and she indicated which way they were going.
That part was not actually tricky, because there was a large house across a moderately sized formal garden.
Claudio and Orion fell in behind them, though far enough back that whatever they were saying to each other was a quiet murmur.
Hypatia let there be silence for a few steps before she said, “In a reasonable world, you’d have some time to figure out what you and Claudio are doing together before we had some of the conversations we need to have tonight.
But well, Challenge looming. And we have heard a bit about you.
Claudio kept talking about the materia meetings.
When we get tired of other topics, I have a dozen questions for you, and they are not actually all on either my brother’s behalf or my own. ”
She was making herself easy to talk to, in a way Matty appreciated.
He was terribly out of practice being around women socially, especially women of Albion.
In Germany, most of the women had been secretaries or doing more rote administrative work, in a different social class than Matty was.
Or they’d been wives to senior men, visiting or staying for a period.
His colleagues in the Ministry varied, but that was professional, and while there was a mix at Urania’s Apples, obviously there he’d spent his time with the men. Well. Mostly Claudio recently. It was not enough to put him at ease with the space, but he was trying.
Not, however, sufficiently well to hide what he felt, apparently, because she next said, “Would you prefer to sit inside or on the terrace? Either is an option, but some people don’t prefer the open air.” It was delicately put, and he did manage to repress the shiver.
“I’m used to city buildings, really.” But he added insistently.
“You were thinking of the terrace, given the pleasant weather? That, please.” She half turned to him, favoured him with a smile, before he added, “I’m glad to discuss the materia, too.
But I know that you all have things you want to make sure we talk about that get priority.
I do understand the importance of sticking to the planned agenda. ”
“Ha!” Hypatia laughed. “In that, you are entirely a match for Claudio and his delights. I am the one of us with the best sense of time. Both Cammie and Orion will get lost in what they’re doing for hours if someone doesn’t fish them out.
Claudio has the tendency too if it’s anything about his particular focus of the moment.
At any rate, my plan can adapt, but we thought drinks on the terrace and the necessary plotting, then supper to include Cammie’s husband, Duncan.
The others in the family are out right now, other than the terribly small ones— my and Orion’s son, and Cammie’s daughter.
They are up in the nursery. You are not obligated to pretend to be interested, certainly not on a first visit. ”
It was a curious way to put things, but Matty would take that as she said it, and also consult Claudio about it later in private. He did at least have a good sense of the family. Claudio had written all of that out by journal after arranging this.
They were here on Saturday to give everyone plenty of time.
And, Matty suspected, to make sure he had a chance to recover from the experience before the work week began.
Though also because Claudio and Matty had plans to go out to Schola tomorrow for supper with Professors Wain and Fortier.
And maybe to watch some of the pickup bohort for the end of the year.
After a moment, he decided to be brave again, reinforcing the habit. “May I ask— do you know— why Claudio was surprised at the formal welcome?”
“Oh, yes.” Again, there was that little ripple of laughter.
She seemed a woman who chuckled readily.
“First, that is the most expansive of the ritual welcomes. But second...” She glanced over her shoulder, saying a hair more quietly.
“Normally Orion wears gloves. He’s a trifle self-conscious about his left hand and the injury there.
But of course, you’ve done your research and also wouldn’t dream of being horrid about it.
” There was an utter certainty there that Matty found fascinating.
“He’d decided that in advance, then.” Since he’d not taken off the gloves when they arrived, Matty would have noticed that.
“And of course I did the research, and of course I don’t want to be horrid.
Please tell me if I am accidentally so I can make it right?
As much as can be.” There was that shiver there, in the back of his head, about the way some things couldn’t be made right because of how they’d broken.